SpareOne: Forget the Smartphone, This Phone Runs on an AA Battery

SpareOne is an emergency phone that runs on a single AA battery. Joanna Stern/ABC News.

Sure, CES 2013 is full of groundbreaking smartphone technology - the newest screens, processors and connectivity for our powerful phones - but sometimes all those fancy features can fail you, especially if they drain your batteries.

That's why SpareOne decided it was time to make a really low-powered cellphone that runs on a single AA cell. Just put one in the back of the dumbphone and you can make calls for up to 10 hours. You can also pop your SIM card in to use your regular phone's number. It's really that simple.

SpareOne says the idea really isn't to replace your more complicated and powerful smartphone. "This is meant to be an emergency and secondary phone for outdoor use or travel use," Christian Scheder, the president of SpareOne, told ABC News. "The battery life of phones s getting worse and worse. We know there are a lot of times and people who cannot charge their phone." Scheder cited Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters as proof that it's good to have a spare phone around to make emergency calls.

The phone comes with a waterproof bag, and SpareOne says a dry cell, unused, can keep its charge for years. There is a large emergency button on the phone for calling 911 - no SIM is required to make those calls. And there is a flashlight on the top, which provides 24 hours of continuous light.

SpareOne also makes an app that lets you use your smartphone to track people's locations during emergencies. The SpareOne is available now for $99.99.